Kelly Graves and the Ducks predicted to win Pac-12 tournament over Stanford Cardinal

Will it be Oregon vs. Stanford again in the Pac-12 tournament championship? If so, the Ducks will likely have more riding on a potential win.

The month of March is here, but the madness of brackets is still a couple of weeks away. While we can wait patiently for Selection Sunday to finally arrive, many college basketball fans will happily keep busy by watching the endless conference tournaments taking place across the landscape over the next couple of weeks.

For the Oregon Ducks, that starts this week with Kelly Graves and the women’s basketball team tipping things off in the Pac-12 Tournament. The No. 2 seeded Ducks earned a first-round bye in Las Vegas, so they will only need to win three games in order to take down the tournament championship.

So is that a feasible accomplishment for this Oregon team that has experienced such ups and downs already this season? According to the Hotline at Mercury News, it’s absolutely in the cards. Here are their predictions for how Oregon’s path in the tournament will ultimately shake out:

No. 7 UCLA vs. No. 2 Oregon (6 p.m.)
Oregon put the hammer down in a make-up game two weeks ago, leading by 20 points at halftime en route to a 67-53 win. The Bruins can be counted on to make it closer in a rematch. But coming off a tough opener against USC, they will fall short of defensively slowing the Ducks.

No. 2 Oregon vs. No. 3 Washington State (8:30 p.m.)
Washington State obviously relishes a do-over from its 83-30 mid-week disaster in Eugene on Feb. 9. But getting your wish and making something out of it are different things. The Ducks are too big and potent offensively to experience a drop of that magnitude.

No. 1 Stanford vs. No. 2 Oregon (3 p.m., ESPN2)
In the end, we will see a third Stanford-Oregon meeting this season (the Cardinal won both) and the same tournament finalists from 2018-20 (the Ducks won two of three). Stanford will be up to 33 consecutive wins over Pac-12 opponents by Sunday and on a 19-game overall winning streak. Both will come to an end as the Ducks need a dramatic statement more than Stanford in order to host an NCAA sub-regional.

The reasoning, for the most part, in Oregon’s predicted victory over Stanford is the fact that the Ducks need the boost from a conference championship more than the Cardinal do at this point in time. In the latest bracket projections, Oregon was not included in the top-16 seeds in the NCAA Tournament, meaning that they would not be allowed to host their first two tournament games.

Whether that desire to get into the top-16 is enough to finally push them past the big bad Cardinal at long last is up for debate, but it will certainly be fun to watch them try.

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2020 Pac-12 College Basketball Tournament odds and betting futures

Analyzing the 2020 Pac-12 Tournament odds and futures, with sports betting picks, tips and best bets.

The 2020 Pac-12 Conference Tournament starts Wednesday at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The tournament features four games Wednesday, and four more battles Thursday. The Oregon Ducks earned the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament, while UCLA, Arizona State and USC also secured first-round byes as the next three top seeds. Below, we look at the futures odds to win the Pac-12 tournament, which has eight teams tipping off the action Wednesday.

Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Wednesday, March 11 at 10:20 a.m. ET.

2020 Pac-12 odds: Oregon Ducks (+175)

Regular season record: (24-7, 13-5 Pac-12)

The Ducks were the class of the Pac-12, scratching out a regular-season conference title. While that’s all well and good, they were a perfect 17-0 at home, but just 7-7 in their 14 games either on the road or on a neutral-site court. Oregon rolls into the tourney on a 4-0 straight up and against the spread run, and they’re 6-1 SU/ATS across their past seven games, with only a loss at Arizona State in the mix.


Get some action on this event or others by placing a bet at BetMGM.


G Payton Pritchard is a stud, rolling up 20.5 points and 5.5 assists per game this season. The Ducks are among the best 3-point shooting teams in the nation, hitting at a 39.6% clip from behind the arc.

The FAVORITE IS WORTH A BET AT +175, as Oregon is playing better ball than anyone in the conference.

2020 Pac-12 odds: Arizona Wildcats (+340)

Regular-season record: (20-11, 10-8 Pac-12)

The Wildcats have rather short odds considering they stumbled hard down the stretch. Arizona dropped four of its final five regular-season games, also going 1-4 ATS during the run.

There is just no value here, as the Wildcats are ice cold. ARIZONA IS A TERRIBLE PLAY AT +340, AVOID.

2020 Pac-12 odds: Colorado Buffaloes (+350)

Regular-season record: (21-10, 10-8 Pac-12)

The Buffaloes were at or near the top of the Pac-12 standings all season, but they ended the campaign on a four-game skid, and they failed to cover in five straight and eight of their final nine games. Confidence is EXTREMELY low they’ll win one game in the tourney, let alone a championship. AVOID.

2020 Pac-12 odds: UCLA Bruins (+600)

Regular-season record: (19-12, 12-6 Pac-12)

The Bruins really got their act together down the stretch, winning seven in a row before losing a defensive nail-biter at USC in the regular-season finale. The Bruins might need a win to feel more confident on Selection Sunday, and it’s possible this team is one of the First Four teams. A conference title would go a long way in seeding, and they’re playing the second-best basketball of anyone in the conference besides Oregon. A SMALL-UNIT PLAY AT +600 IS WARRANTED.

2020 Pac-12 odds: Arizona State Sun Devils (+800)

Regular-season record: (20-11, 11-7 Pac-12)

The Sun Devils dropped three in a row at UCLA, at USC and at home against lowly Washington, splashing cold water on their momentum after a seven-game winning streak from Feb. 1-22. The Sun Devils are a very mediocre team who will be NIT-bound barring a championship. It’s not happening. AVOID.

2020 Pac-12 odds: USC Trojans (+1200)

Regular-season record: (22-9, 11-7 Pac-12)

The Trojans are a tremendous sleeper most people give little credit. They rattled off a three-game winning streak against Arizona, Arizona State and UCLA to close out the season, and if you’re looking for a mid-tier value, they’re it. They lost their only meeting against Oregon in Eugene Jan. 23, but they took the Ducks to overtime before falling 79-70. USC IS A TREMENDOUS VALUE WITH UPSIDE AT +1200.

2020 Pac-12 odds: Stanford Cardinal (+1500)

Regular-season record: (20-11, 9-9 Pac-12)

The Cardinal split the season series with Oregon, they split with Colorado and they also had a win at UCLA, while losing an OT thriller at USC. Stanford has a strong defense, and it slows it down with a methodical offense. The Cardinal are a good 3-point shooting team when they do hoist them up, and they’re accurate from the floor. A SMALL-UNIT PLAY AT +1500 ISN’T A WASTE OF MONEY.

2020 Pac-12 odds: Oregon State Beavers (+5000)

Regular-season record: (17-13, 7-11 Pac-12)

The Beavers topped the top-seeded Ducks by a 63-53 count, but could they do it in Vegas? They were swept by Arizona State, but played them tough, too. The Beavers can hang around and be a pain, but they’re likely one-and-done after running out of steam in the second half. AVOID.

2020 Pac-12 odds: Washington Huskies (+5000)

Regular-season record: (15-16, 5-13 Pac-12)

Washington stunned Arizona State and Arizona on the road to close out the regular season, and has the talent to give anyone fits, but can they go 4-for-4 to win a title? Nah. AVOID.

2020 Pac-12 odds: Utah Utes (+7000)

Regular-season record: (16-14, 7-11 Pac-12)

The Utes ended the season on a high note, adding to Colorado’s woes. They upset USC Feb. 23, but they also lost to California, and were dusted by Oregon State. Utah is too inconsistent, thus the long odds. AVOID.

2020 Pac-12 odds: Washington State Cougars (+7000)

Regular-season record: (15-16, 6-12 Pac-12)

The Cougs closed the season on a 1-6 SU/3-4 ATS run in the final seven regular-season games. They have wins against Arizona State, Oregon and UCLA this season, but they were also swept by Cal and Stanford. AVOID.

2020 Pac-12 odds: California Bears (+8000)

Regular-season record: (13-18, 7-11 Pac-12)

The Bears won just three of their final 10 games, and they closed out the season with a 24-point loss in Oregon and 18-point loss in Oregon State. There’s a reason they have the worst odds. They’re skidding hard. AVOID.

Want some action on this tournament? Place a bet at BetMGM. For more sports betting picks and tips, visit SportsbookWire.com.

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